The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which provides the standard in hospital accreditation in the United States, will soon be subjected to greater federal oversight.
Congress recently eliminated the Joint Commission's “unique deeming authority” for hospitals as part of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (H.R. 6331), which was enacted in July. That means that the Joint Commission, like other accrediting bodies, will need to apply to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in order for its accredited hospitals to be deemed to have met the conditions of participation in Medicare. Previously, the Joint Commission's deeming authority had been automatic and was not subject to oversight by the CMS.
Officials at the Joint Commission supported the intention of the change, and plan to apply to CMS for hospital deeming authority. The Joint Commission and other accrediting bodies already apply to CMS for deeming authority in other areas, such as home care, laboratory, and ambulatory surgery accreditation programs.
Under the new law, the Joint Commission will have 24 months to apply to CMS for deeming authority and to be recognized. During the transition period, accredited hospitals will not be affected by this change, according to the Joint Commission.
In 2004, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report that called on Congress to consider giving the CMS greater authority over the Joint Commission's hospital accreditation program. GAO investigators examined state agency validation surveys for 500 hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission and found that the Joint Commission had missed most of the serious deficiencies picked up during the state reviews.